Madonna Hoped to Wed at Princess Di's Estate

December 11

Sometimes, even the Queen of Pop can't get her way. Though Madonna and beau Guy Ritchie are now rumored to be planning a luxurious wedding in a Scottish castle, some say that the pop singer was unable to have her first choice of venue: the late Princess Diana's family home.

A spokesman for Althorp House confirmed to The Associated Press today that the pop performer wrote to Di's brother, Earl Spencer, a few months ago to request permission to marry at the estate where Diana is buried. Though various media outlets claimed that Madonna was turned down flat by Spencer — who supposedly said the celeb couple's wedding would create an undesirable media headache for those overseeing the property — Althorp rep David Fawkes denied those reports.

"It is not true to say Earl Spencer rejected the star — only that we could not provide the facilities," Fawkes noted to AP, adding that the decision was mutual. If you ask us, that was his veddy polite way of not embarrassing the famous Miss M.

Though Madonna and her publicist have denied all rumors of matrimony, the singer and her director love secured "banns" — a term describing a public announcement signaling a forthcoming marriage — which were apparently posted at the Dornoch, Scotland, registrar's office Friday. The couple's names, Guy Stewart Ritchie and Madonna Louise Ciccone, were last on the list of four couples' names.

The two are rumored to wed Dec. 22 in Skibo Castle, a turreted fortress on Scotland's northeast coast, where the boys will wear kilts and the girls will wear, uh, designer gowns (crafted by award-winning designer Stella McCartney, if gossipmongers are correct). The castle owners have refused to comment on whether the singer has made any bookings there, and security guards have apparently closed Skibo's grounds to curiosity seekers.